Communication devices are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the modern world. In particular, mobile communication devices seem to be popular with people of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds and sophistication levels. Accordingly, users of such devices are becoming increasingly attached to their respective mobile communication devices. Whether such devices are used for calling, emailing, sharing or consuming media content, gaming, navigation or various other activities, people are more connected to their devices and consequently more connected to each other and to the world at large.
Due to advances in processing power, memory management, application development, power management and other areas, communication devices, such as computers, mobile telephones, cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs), media players and many others are becoming more capable. However, the popularity and utility of mobile communication devices has not only fueled sales and usage of such devices, but has also caused these devices to be increasingly more common targets for thieves. Moreover, even if a device is not stolen, it may be lost or forgotten somewhere and another individual may discover the lost item and desire to use it.
Providing an increased level of security for mobile communication devices may reduce the motivation for stealing such devices and thereby free up law enforcement resources to focus on other crimes and also increase the feeling of safety and security among citizens. Accordingly, several approaches have been undertaken to improve device security. In one approach, a stolen phone may be added to a service provider blacklist so that the blacklisted phone will no longer be able to access the service provider's network. However, the blacklist is typically based on the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of the phone, which is typically accessible on the phone or on the packing material (which has likely been thrown away). Thus, since some users don't memorize the IMEI of their device, this is often not a viable solution. Some software solutions have also been developed. However, these solutions have typically been easy to defeat since thieves have been able to access the software and delete it, or such solutions have been relatively easy to attack and/or hack.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to develop an improved mechanism for providing device security.